100 Favorite Restaurants (Part 1)

* new restaurant ALIBI ROOM Tucked away in an alcove off Post Alley, the Alibi Room is hard to find but worth the effort. They serve dinners right up until 11 p.m. (midnight on weekends) with none of those "will you please hurry up" looks so often encountered by those who dare to dine past 9. The fact that it's a bar (with some of the city's finest cocktails) helps, of course—but the food is much more than fodder for weary designated drivers. The vibrant colors of the baby spinach salad (pale pine nuts, creamy white goat cheese, roasted red beets, and pink pickled red onions) signal equally vivid flavors; it would be the best salad on the menu if not for the to-die-for-tender butter leaf lettuce salad with two enormous croutons topped with melted, marvelous Cambozola cheese. "Small plates" include edamame, a bowl of garlic mashed potatoes, and a queso manchego plate that celebrates the power of cheese. Among the bigger plates, the grilled chicken fettuccini is creamy but not too heavy, the "New Mac" with adorable orecchiette ("little ears"!) pasta is rich and soothing, and the grilled flank steak with caramelized onions reminds you why you love beef for dinner. One warning: It is a bar, so go early or on weeknights if you can't stand smoke. Audrey Van Buskirk 85 Pike, 623-3180. Dinner every night. PIKE PLACE MARKET $$ ALKI HOMESTEAD This home-style West Seattle restaurant is just like Grandma's house, assuming that Grandma lives in a log cabin, has the decorating taste of a Barbary Coast madam, and makes some of the best fried chicken in the state. Every picture frame is gold, every napkin is pink, every tablecloth is crocheted, and every table is surrounded by cheerfully expectant multigenerational families waiting patiently for the almighty chicken to arrive. Dining here is dining the old-fashioned way: The family-style fried chicken dinner is all-you-can-eat and includes soup, biscuits, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, mushy vegetables, and your choice of a green salad or a bowl of Jell-O and whipped cream. Lightly peppered and embarrassingly juicy, the starting portion of poultry is four healthy pieces per person, and your sweetly exhausted waitress is happy to supply either more chicken or old-school doggie bags. Other entr饠possibilities include a fat slab of ham and a double-cut pork chop. If you've got room for dessert, you obviously didn't eat enough biscuits, but the choices include mud pie and chocolate mousse, the likes of which your Grandma would be proud to serve. Jill Lightner 2717 61st S.W., 935-5678. Dinner Wed.-Sun. WEST SEATTLE $ AU BOUCHON* If the lights are a little bright at Au Bouchon, they'll dim, magically, as soon as you think the thought. Should you eat so much in your first course or two—a subtle, lovely cream of carrot soup and a rich, winey onion one with Gruy貥 cheese; a perfect salad ni篩se; and a big golden puff of pastry with escargot and blue cheese baked inside, in a pool of demi-glace—the server, noting your midprandial stupor, will offer a respite of a few minutes ever so gracefully. If, later, the people at the next table are loud and stupid and un-French as can be, a couple glasses of port will be brought by way of tacit sympathy. Au Bouchon is a lovely little bistro, with its ocher and burnt orange walls, its cafe tables, its Edith Piaf. The food is gorgeous: insane bouillabaisse, tender braised meats, a brunch from French heaven. There's a nice, reasonable wine list, with few bottles over $30 and a quite enjoyable Lauretan white Bordeaux for only $18. And Au Bouchon reads your mind. Bethany Jean Clement 1815 N. 45th, 547-5791. Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Tues.-Sun, brunch Sat.-Sun. WALLINGFORD $$ BACKDOOR BARBECUE Food should never be confused with love, unless the food in question is barbecue. This meaty little haven, hidden behind a West Seattle bar, offers outstanding grilled meat with enough sides to keep things interesting. Boneless pork ribs have crispy edges and meltingly tender middles, while the brisket is a mountain of slightly chewy shredded beef. Sandwiches are a little less messy than traditional barbecue; the Prime Minister (sliced beef, smoked cheddar, French roll) is a pleasantly spicy treat, while Porky's Revenge features a jumbo hot link topped with beans, onions, and cheese. Sauce is mild, spicy, turbo, and nitro; pepper flakes are clearly visible in the last two, but none is intolerably hot. Lunches come with two sides, and dinners include the two sides plus cornbread and corn on the cob, so arrive hungry. The cornbread is rich and sweet, the coleslaw is crispy, and the macaroni salad is loaded with olives, cheese, ham, and vegetables. Meats are also available by the pound, a nice option if you're planning a party or are just feeling unloved. J.L. 6459 California S.W., 932-RIBS, Lunch & dinner. WEST SEATTLE $ BADA LOUNGE* The beautiful people are here, and for good reason: Bada's red walls, sharp corners, and Space Odyssey fixtures have a definite L.A./New York vibe, and the kitchen pedigree is worth bragging about (with alumni from Campagne, Flying Fish, and El Gaucho). Many of the plates revel in butter, cream, and oil, to tasty (if extremely rich) effect; but with seafood, Bada neither falls prey to the common sin of overcooking nor provides unasked-for sashimi. A risotto has an intriguing rim of romesco sauce and a small, faultlessly cooked crowning of prawn, octopus, salmon, and scallop; seared king salmon is also perfectly prepared, with spicy curried cauliflower and red lentil dal; tempura calamari is meltingly tender. Desserts stay on the heart attack express; marvel at the pecan-crusted cr譥 frae cheesecake. Twenty- and thirtysomethings more focused on taking each other home for dessert can sate themselves with the extensive cocktail options and a fancy bar menu. And the place isn't called a lounge for nothing; downtempo DJs five nights a week, VIP rooms, and two gorgeous red felt pool tables mean the ladies haven't put on their stilettos just for the sea scallop phad Thai. How the beautiful people will stay thin is their problem. L.G. 2230 First, 374-8717. Dinner every night; bar menu until 1 a.m. BELLTOWN $$ BAKEMAN'S The military precision with which eaters are expected to make their orders and slide their trays along the cafeteria counter at this downtown deli makes it nearly impossible to avoid recall of a certain Seinfeld soup purveyor. "You want a piece of pie with that? How about some cake? Anything else? Are you sure?" The badgering that awaits at the cash register may also come as something of a surprise to first-timers, but the gauntlet is always good-natured, even fun. Bakeman's is a model of efficiency (their mastery of the lunch rush is truly something to behold) and the sandwiches, homemade soups, and salads are just as uniform in their goodness. Its consistency is obviously appreciated by the legions of office dwellers that comprise the bulk of the clientele. The prices, it should be mentioned, are so insanely low ($3.50 for an oven-roasted turkey sandwich!) that dessert is a very reasonable option. And besides, the pie really is delicious. Paul Fontana 122 Cherry, 622-3375. Lunch, closed Sat. & Sun. Cash and checks only. DOWNTOWN $ BIMBO'S BITCHIN' BURRITO KITCHEN Just think of Capitol Hill's hipster Mexican joint as Big Fat Food, the kind of place you'd stop in after midnight during your boozy college days and feel blessed to have within your drunken grasp. And Bimbo's is open late (until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday), though it's working the laid-back party atmosphere all day long. Enjoy the cheap, enormous basic burrito (upgrade a dollar for added meat or—oh, yes—garlic roasted potatoes) under the fabulous, wall-to-wall kitsch of cheesy lights, would-be oil masterpieces, and groovy black velvet love scenes. If you're up for nachos, be sure to ask for meat or beans, and don't miss the tortilla-layered tamale pie. For a smaller snack, get one of the tacos: A hard shell filled with something different like—oh, yes, again—the garlic roasted potatoes will do you right, but be sure to get another one with a soft corn tortilla, too. And Bimbo's is on top of its S.F. Mission-style mission—you can order a fruity Jarritos soda to accompany your meal. Oh, and that big slab of Mother Owens' cake is worth knowing that you've just followed beans with chocolate frosting. One warning: Don't expect consistently stellar service from a place self-described as bitchin'. Steve Wiecking 506 E. Pine, 329-9978. Lunch & dinner every day (opens at 2 p.m. on Sun.). CAPITOL HILL $ BISTRO ANTALYA [Our favorite sandwich-maker, Bulent Ertur of Bistro Antalya on Broadway, was hauled away by the INS months ago; no word on how long they plan to detain (as our own very cute Paul Hughes calls him) Turkeys cutest gift to the world. Bistro Antalya, meanwhile, is closed. Heres a May 23 story on the matter.] If you ever go anywhere near Broadway, and you're ever anywhere even remotely close to hungry while you're there, you must go to Bistro Antalya and you must get a doner kebap. And do it soon, before Bulent Ertur—ex- astrophysics teacher, expert bread baker, and Turkey's cutest gift to the world—gets adopted by some well-meaning family and subsequently incorporated into their holiday rituals. This smiling, white-lab-coat-wearing man takes obvious joy in creating the most holy of all kebaps, the doner: beef, lamb, yogurt sauce, greens, and romas, on the best pide bread you've ever had. It's so good that you'll even forget you're in the foyer of a wasty, trucker-speed-addled minimart. (How sweet is that? "Yeah, a pack of Marlboro Lights and one of those Man-o-War vitamin packs. Thanks." Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, five feet or so. "Yes, I'd like the best thing I'll ever eat in my entire life, Mr. Ertur. Thanks. Hang on, I've got to pay for my smokes.") Other things at Bistro Antalya are good—e.g., the mucver zucchini pancakes and the hummus—but it's hard to imagine passing up the doner. Paul Hughes 327 Broadway E., 860-1911. Lunch & dinner. Cash only. CAPITOL HILL $ BOOMTOWN CAFE Tired of eating lunch with the same old crowd? At Boomtown, you won't run into the swells from Briazz and Pasta Ya Gotcha. Located downstairs from an emergency shelter and the notorious Morrison Hotel along the sketchiest stretch of Third Avenue, Boomtown is a nonprofit restaurant where down-at-the-heels diners can get breakfast for $1.25, lunch for $1.75, and be waited on to boot. It's plenty lively inside, with cross-the-room conversations, a kids' play corner, and sometimes unexpected outbursts punctuating the throb of 95.7 the Beat. It's cleaner than any downtown dive you presently frequent, and the food isn't half bad either: Veggie lasagna or grilled ham and cheese hits the mark and comes with salad; breakfast presents pancakes and scrambles. If you're a little more flush than the Boomtown regulars, you might offer to pay something closer to a restaurant tab or attend one of the "Evenings at Boomtown" fund-raising dinners, for which guest chefs from Seattle's tonier kitchens—e.g., Tamara Murphy of Brasa, Tom Douglas of the Dahlia Lounge, etc., Charlie Durham of Cassis— donate their services; visit www.boomtowncafe.org. Be aware that the line between customer and staff is a fluid one at Boomtown, since guests who can't scrounge up the necessary buck or two can earn their meal by working. So if a scruffy character approaches and rather insistently offers to bring you coffee, just say yes; you'll warm more than just your own stomach. Mark D. Fefer 513 Third, 625-2989. Breakfast and lunch, closed weekends. Cash, food stamps, or barter. DOWNTOWN $ CAFE LAGO It's one of the only Italian places left in the city that actually makes each and every noodle by hand: fresh fettuccine, tossed with saut饤 pancetta and California asparagus in a spicy tomato sauce; ravioli, filled with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan and topped with a swirl of pesto; and the tenderest potato gnocchi you've had in ages, served in an electric-orange sauce of tomatoes, cream, and vodka. Other popular items include a delicate lasagna, a grilled New York topped with Gorgonzola, and a handful of wood-fired pizza pies that are, as the song goes, amore. Well over a decade old, and with a staff that seems to borrow heavily from the university, the place expanded dramatically two years ago to a size that just barely allows them to accommodate the nightly crowds. Still, don't be surprised to find a wait at nine o'clock on, say, a Tuesday. Mercifully, they have a bar. Christopher Frizzelle 2305 24th E., 329-8005. Dinner every night. MONTLAKE $$ CAFɠCAMPAGNE Tucked away in the Market's picturesque Post Alley, Caf頃ampagne is everything a French bistro should be—rustic, flavorful, and completely in love with butterfat. Though service runs on a European (read: slooow) timetable, it's the kind of place one wants to linger in—with a good bottle of wine, delicious crusty bread, and long, sexy glances across dimly lit tabletops to keep you sated till the food arrives. The Caf頴akes a more humble approach than its pricier sibling upstairs, focusing instead on pure satisfaction: Try the hearty Proven硬 flavors of the juicy lamb burger with grilled onions and hot and salty pommes frites, or the always-popular cassoulet with its rich, tummy-comforting white beans and sausage. The tenderly roasted young chicken doesn't disappoint either, and even the best nighttime meals on offer are equaled by the almost legendary brunches—fans talk unashamedly of licking the cast-iron skillet the oeufs plats (eggs baked with white beans and creams) is served on. Lunch is a fair bargain for those whose anorexic wallets don't quite match their sophisticated palates. L.G. 1600 Post Alley, 728-2233. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. PIKE PLACE MARKET $$-$$$ CAFɠFLORA Dedicated vegans and sworn carnivores alike have been swooning over the fusiony, inspired vegetarian fare at this airy Madison Park institution for more than a decade, and it's little wonder: Options like ginger pesto samosas, wild mushroom and Gouda pizza, and delicately fried artichoke croquettes have about as much to do with traditional "vegetarian cooking" as a corn dog has in common with roasted pork loin. Caf順lora's menu can be confounding—rice stick noodles in ginger basil Thai pesto or coconut banana curry with lime mint yogurt and pomegranate syrup?—but don't fret. It's all good. The signature portabello Wellington, a decadent, buttery pastry nestled daintily on a bed of thyme-infused mashed potatoes and demure baby vegetables, is a standout, as are starters like roasted yam quesadillas with salsa verde and coconut-breaded tofu (yes, tofu) with sweet chili dipping sauce. Erica C. Barnett 2901 E. Madison, 325-9100. Lunch & dinner, closed Mon. MADISON PARK $$ CAFE OTIS See story CAFɠPALOMA Here's the good news: Caf預aloma expanded. Here's the great news: The darling Mediterranean cafe is opening for dinner three nights a week. Now for the bad news: It hasn't happened yet. But by the time you're reading this, you'll be able to enjoy downtown's newest and (we think) only meze bar every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night. A selection of hot and cold appetizers (nutty rice-stuffed grape leaves, the smoothest hummus, addictive baba ghanoush) will make up the bulk of the menu, along with one or two entr饳, as well as the soups (often a lentil variety), salads, and incredible grilled sandwiches that have made Caf預aloma a very popular lunch spot. The crowds of tourists that pass by on their way underground for their tours would be wise to stop in here for a taste of true Pioneer Square culture; charming chef/owner Sedat Uysal has built Caf預aloma into one of the few places in this historic area that still seem to fit with the neighborhood's artsy, colorful reputation. A.V.B. 93 Yesler, 405-1920. Lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner Wed.-Fri. PIONEER SQUARE $ CAFFɠBRAZIL Pedro Alvares Cabral officially discovered Brazil in 1500—but only because he got "blown off course" (so he says) on the way to India. Presumably, a similar navigational mishap was required for the first lucky chump to stumble on Caff頂razil, situated as it is on the trash-strewn hinter reaches of the Ave, squeezed behind a nondescript storefront next to a pedicure place. But wow—talk about a lush, inviting paradise ripe for exploitation! Almost the entire menu inspires hearty pillaging: the Brazilian specialty feijoada, invented by enterprising slaves who mixed the master's pork, sausage, and bacon with black beans and manioc flour; the bife a moda da casa, grilled beef with eggs, mozzarella, tomatoes, and ham; the coconut-milk halibut stew, made with veggies, lime juice, and palm oil; even the obligatory vegetarian dish is inspired, filled with okra, onions, cilantro, garlic, pepper, and green onions. Add to Caff頂razil's many fine homespun qualities live music on the weekend (lots of Brazilian jazz and samba) and "Happy Day" on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (half-price entr饳), and you might never want to leave. (Mark your calendar for next April 21 so you can celebrate the anniversary of Discovery Day!) P.H. 5259 University Way N.E., 525-1993. Dinner weekdays, lunch & dinner weekends, closed Mon. UNIVERSITY DISTRICT $$ CANLIS You don't go to Canlis for the food. Oh, the food's great, and by today's standards no longer out-of-line pricey. But Canlis is not about food; it's An Experience, the Experience every upscale steak house in America promises but rarely delivers, the Experience of stepping into a Leroy Neiman painting, of being for a few hours Where It's At. More than anything else, it's the room that does it: the room with its panorama of lake, city, and sky that a widely traveled friend calls the best restaurant view in the world. You'll enjoy dipping fat Dungeness crab legs in mustard sauce and sucking the butter off giant tender asparagus spears, you'll swoon over the steaks of Washington-grown Kobe-style beef or one of the few, strictly seasonal specials chef Greg Atkinson allows himself. You'll enjoy the attentive, unobtrusive service; you'll recover, in time, from your glimpse of the prices on the wine list. You'll go home feeling that you have Dined. Canlis has been reliably doing this for over 50 years, while even the finest of similar establishments in more sophisticated cities have doddered and died. Go figure. But go. Roger Downey 2576 Aurora N., 283-3313. Dinner only, closed Sun. $$$ QUEEN ANNE CAPITOL CLUB [This restaurant has changed chefs since this review was written.] There's a difference, of course, between people who go to the Capitol Club and people who eat there. While everyone upstairs is downing Casbahs—perhaps the best thing in the city to get drunk on—everyone downstairs is deciding on dinner. Dinner is a bit of a departure from what it used to be now that 26-year-old Kevin Ruff, the former sous chef, is in charge. If you don't mind finishing what your wool sweater started, try his marinated loin of lamb salad—salty, tender, thinly sliced sheep lain over balsamic-dressed baby spinach and figs. Needless to say, it's a standout. Entr饷ise, the porcini-crusted ahi tuna is expertly cooked—a dark, musky outside, a perfectly rare center. The pork chop is similarly spectacular; the filet mignon flawless. Not everything new works perfectly, yet, but it's nice to see a good place taking risks. And it's a special relief to see a guy like Ruff put in charge—good at what he does, honest about his interests, not concerned with any image bullshit: He's far less concerned with chefdom than, well, snowboarding. C.F. 414 E. Pine, 325-2149. Dinner only. CAPITOL HILL $$ CARMELITA Although it's hard to remember a time when "vegetarian food" was code for brown rice, beans, and blandly seasoned tofu, places like Carmelita are still a good reminder of how far herbivorous fare has come. Options like a butternut squash and apple terrine, broccoli pesto pizza, and a portabello mushroom roulade stuffed with baby green beans, roasted peppers, and caramelized onions should put to rest any questions about the compatibility of the words "vegetarian" and "gourmet." But be warned: Carmelita has been criticized for its somewhat spotty execution. Starters like bruschetta and an antipasti platter are safe bets, but note that the purple potato pizza has a prodigious quantity of powerful Oregon blue cheese. And with options like locally produced goat cheese with a "Napoleon of tomato/lavender chutney and fennel seed crostini, roasted garlic pur饬 and paprika almonds," you may wonder whether you're paying the copywriter or the chef; no matter, it's still very tasty. E.C.B. 7314 Greenwood N., 706-7703. Dinner only, closed Mon. GREENWOOD $$$ CASCADIA From its beautiful underlit marble bar to the indoor waterfall cascading in the back, Cascadia exudes a posh sophistication that many attempt and few perfect. And perfect it they do; even the salt cellars are cunning objets d'art, like sleek little silver robots awaiting your command on the gorgeously laid tables. The poshness, the sophistication, and the perfection extend to the impeccable service and menu; chef Kerry Sear's high-class gimmick, termed "Decidedly Northwest," is to prepare food exclusively with seasonal ingredients found in "Cascadia"—Washington, Oregon, Northern California, British Columbia, and Alaska. Thus, when it's asparagus time over in Yakima, an asparagus and butter lettuce salad with watercress and pecan-rhubarb dressing might be found here, or a delicious, subtle asparagus bisque; seasonal fish may include a black butter-saut饤 rainbow trout; and meats like Washington beef filet or roast loin of venison will be accompanied by fantastic vegetables. If you've got a pretty penny to spend, this is a pretty place to spend it; if you don't, the bar menu offers samples of the fine work and atmosphere here at a price well worth your while. B.J.C. 2328 First, 448-8884. Dinner only, closed Sun. BELLTOWN $$$ CASSIS Every time you go to Cassis, it's like discovering the place all over again. Located in Nowhereland on north Capitol Hill, it announces itself not with signage but with appetizing aromas as you approach its anonymous exterior. The inside's plain, the menu brief: no more than a dozen dishes—half regulars, half seasonal—all, with the rarest of exceptions, killers. The fish soup, fragrant with tomato and garlic, is heavenly, and soups of the day are just as good, each an inspired enhancement of simple ingredients. The daily specials (cassoulet Monday, coq au vin Tuesday, etc.) are exquisite exercises in essential French country cooking. The French fries are to die for. The house wines, by the quarter-, half-, and full liter, are solidly dependable. Habitu鳠tend to stick to these menu basics; the special entr饳, changing monthly, are often fine, but the standbys are always great. R.D. 2359 10th E., 329-0580. Dinner only. CAPITOL HILL $$-$$$ CENTURY BALLROOM CAFɼ/B> There's nowhere else in the city more unpretentiously old-world and elegant—and no experience, nothing at all, like being at a table set for two and attended by a waiter in the middle of a great big ballroom. Where else can you enjoy goat cheese bruschetta, or roasted red pepper tapenade, and the best of Ella Fitzgerald—performed live—in concert? Where else can you feast on herbed, wine-marinated chicken, roasted with Spanish olives and prunes, to startlingly American standards like "When Sunny Gets Blue" and "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"? Where else can you snarf down freshly baked dessert pastries to songs about sunbonnets, shoe buttons, and taskets? (What is a tasket, by the way? And for that matter, a tisket?) These are the questions that you may ask yourself—whisked back in time by the performance and by the whiskey—if you're smart enough to pay a little extra to get in to see the show. On a recent visit, Greta Matassa sang a masterful tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan. Afterward, the tables were cleared for salsa dancing. C.F. 915 E. Pine, 324-7263. Breakfast, lunch, & dinner Wed.-Sat.; brunch & dinner Sun. CAPITOL HILL $ CHILE PEPPER Chile Pepper remains, tragically, one of Wallingford's best-kept secrets. Why? Maybe it's the squatty little house it's in, or the outdated, backlit plastic sign. Or maybe people just can't stomach the thought of coming to Wallingford, the Wonder bread of Seattle neighborhoods, for some of the most authentic, fiery Mexican food this side of Tijuana. Their loss. Chile Pepper isn't about glamour. It's about standards executed with perfect pitch: mole sauce redolent—unlike the sweet, gooey imitations so commonly found in Seattle—of dozens of individual nuts and spices; snapper ceviche with the characteristic sting of lime juice and jalape� and enchiladas too good to bury under mounds of tacky yellow cheese. An extra treat: a light, oniony lentil soup comes gratis with every entr饮 Skip the oversweet margaritas, grab your favorite Mexican beer, and don't forget to order some of Chile Pepper's outstanding, smoky roasted pepper salsa. E.C.B. 1427 N. 45th, 545-1790. Lunch & dinner. WALLINGFORD $ DEUX TAMALES* If Rene Magritte opened a restaurant, it might look a lot like Deux Tamales. This Columbia City newcomer is full of little surrealistic touches: A grid of painted clouds hovers along one side of the narrow room, and paintings of sensuously twined chile peppers set off walls the color of merlot. The food, too, has a sophisticated French accent: Entr饳 like chile rellenos, grilled New York strip with apricot mole sauce, and the eponymous tamales integrate unexpected elements like capers, green olives, and crispy-fried shallots into chile-infused Mexican standards. The culture clash makes for heavenly fusions—like green olive-crusted red snapper with caper cream sauce, cassoulet with chorizo and masa pastry, and mango and Brie quesadillas. Margaritas and mojitos share space with tequila "flights" on an inspired drink menu. A brand-new Sunday brunch offers more delicious Franco-Latino creations, like huevos Benedict (with Serrano ham, ancho hollandaise, and blue corn fritters standing in for the muffins); at lunch you might find a Latin take on the croque monsieur. One caution: Your waiter will be friendly but overburdened, so be kind. (Les Tamales, Deux Tamales' more casual, Santa Fe-ish cousin, is in West Seattle.) E.C.B. Deux Tamales: 4868 Rainier S., 725-1418. Sun. brunch, lunch Tues.-Sat., dinner Tues.-Sun. COLUMBIA CITY $$-$$$ Les Tamales: 3247 California S.W., 923-3538. Dinner only, closed Sun. & Mon. WEST SEATTLE $-$$ 1 | 2 | 3